Adventure Mode: Swarm
by PixelEm
Summary: After 7 years, Mario's greatest fears have come true: the beautiful crossverse is threatened by a powerful and despicable force once again. Their enemy this time is far more disastrous than Tabuu ever was, and is bent on destroying them all. Mario must overcome his apprehension of going into battle, and convince a new companion to stay and fight for their very lives. ((CANCELLED))
1. Prologue

The day the fearsome Leader of Subspace was defeated, a formless entity watched the whole spectacle from afar.

Wind whistled eerily through the forest trees, making the night atmosphere much chillier than normal. The moon cast a low light over an area where a cloaked figure stood. His cloak obscured his entire body, making his identity impossible to know unless one removed it. But once that same person sees a ghoulish mass of what looks like darker Shadow Bugs gripping the edge of the cloak like a grisly hand, they would abandon that idea swiftly.

The figure stood in front of a tree, where a mirror with polished golden edges was magically bolted in the pine's bark. Knowing him, one may wonder why in the universe he'd stare into the reflective glass at all; he despised his appearance with a burning passion.

But it was no ordinary mirror. If it were, he would never have stared at it as long as he had been.

Images flashed in the mirror, as if it were showing a movie. These images, however, held his attention far more greatly than any fictional world could: a large team of fighters, not even of the same universes, all battling a blue-skinned, pixelated-looking humanoid bearing enormous rainbow wings. They appeared to be fighting to the death, determination and anger crossing all their faces as they attacked.

These events intrigued the figure. They belonged to different universes; why were they fighting side by side, all assisting each other like true allies?

How it astonished and disgusted him.

As he watched, he noted the different battlers: a light green dinosaur, a blue hedgehog, two blue-haired swordsmen, a pink chibi puffball, a hairy ape with a young monkey companion, a rather simplistic 2-D character, an archer angel, a woman clad in a metal suit, complete with a blaster arm, just to name a few. Quite a variety, he thought.

It wasn't long before the fighters' enemy cast an utterly devastating attack. The humanoid entity launched a powerful wave of energy from the heart-like power source lodged in its chest. It struck the group hard; their determined faces turned to brief horror before final excruciating pain. The force of the blow was strong enough to send them flying across the deep black battlefield. Once they landed, the attack's effect was obvious on the battlers' tightened faces and wounded bodies. All seemed lost for the brave fighters.

There was a single survivor.

Miraculously, a short, round mustachioed man in red attire managed to dodge the harsh force. He landed wobbly, but on his feet. He panted, out of breath from the brawling. Wiping his glistening brow, the man glared at his otherworldly enemy. It almost looked as if he were begging the creature to try and hit him again.

The hooded figure recognized him. He seemed to be the group's leader – not the seven or so that had traveled with him, but the huge army that had entered the subspace realm. No wonder he was so keen on defeating the cruel beast.

The short man made an incredible leap at the humanoid, reeling his gloved fist back and yelling a battle cry. But his opponent was prepared; it spread its multicolored wings and readied the same attack that had wiped out the rest of the group. The man looked like he would lose.

This prediction was soon proven false when he somehow reached his enemy. His curled fist burst into flames. Before the pixelated entity could do anything else, the man dealt the burning punch, landing it squarely in the chest.

The Subspace leader writhed in pain, a blinding white aura blasting from its power source. In a short moment, it exploded. The massive boom released its hold on the cross-universe just outside the bubble of Subspace. Below, the fighters cringed and shielded their eyes.

In another brief second, the circle of Subspace dematerialized, leaving behind no traces that it ever existed. The one thing it _did_ leave was the crossverse, just the way it was before it swallowed it up. Everything was fine.

Tabuu, the menacing and cruel Leader of Subspace, was gone.

Every fighter looked around in wonder as they struggled to stand up. A few doubled over in pain, and their comrades assisted them. The mustachioed plumber stood as well, though just as shakily. They collectively turned their heads toward him.

The man met their eyes with his own blue ones. He heaved a sigh before, finally, smiling.

They rejoiced. Some cheered, while others embraced their hero. It was obvious from their joyous expressions that they just beat an impossible enemy.

They won an impossible war.

And they had this plumber to thank.

Speaking of the plumber, the hooded figure noticed that his emotions slightly differed from his friends'. He was smiling and looked relieved, yet there was something else shining in his eyes.

It was very, _very_ strong relief.

As he watched, the figure realized how much he despised their victory. Tabuu's plan was flawless. The only reason the Subspace Leader couldn't prevail was because one small fighter got lucky and avoided that Off Wave. It wasn't acceptable. He made a firm final decision:

_He_ would carry out Tabuu's master plan.

**This is a story I've had in my head ever since SSB4 came out. I understand this is a bit short, but later chapters **_**will**_** be longer. I hope you stay tuned for the rest of the story!**

**P.S., if you enjoyed this prologue and want me to update a bit quicker, why don't you leave a review? It takes only a minute out of your day :3**

**~Pixel**


	2. Chapter 1: Making an Entrance

**Part 1:**

**Press Start**

_The blast of energy pierced Mario's skin, and pain exploded in his senses._

_ He resisted crying out as the force knocked him backwards into the air. He turned his body with jerking movements, trying desperately to land on his feet. The motions, however, only sent even more painful jolts through his bones. He winced, and then let the cry he'd been holding in burst out when he landed hard._

_ The impact made him crumple to the ground in agony. He clenched his teeth and attempted standing upright, only for his legs to give way and him to fall once more._

"Come on! We can't-a rest!" _Mario mentally scolded,_ "He'll destroy us if we let up! We have-a to - !"

_It was then that the plumber noticed a gloved hand – an exact replica of his own – lying near him, attached to a green sleeve, and fought the urge to scream._

_ His brother lay there, unmoving. His clothes were spotted with dirt stains and tiny rips, looking as if he'd suffered a war. Like he'd broken every bone in it, he lay with his body twisted at an awkward angle. But Luigi's face was what ultimately destroyed Mario's heart: it was pale, frozen in a look of pure terror. _

_ Mario's eyes welled up. _"Is he…? He-a can't be…" _He couldn't bring himself to say it, not even in his personal thoughts._

_ He let his eyes wander beyond his mangled brother and saw something far more horrifying._

_ All his friends, the team who'd joined together with him to defeat a tyrant and his otherworldly army to protect their beautiful cross-world, had met the same cruel fate as Luigi. All had fallen victim to Tabuu's Off Wave, and the aftermath was horrible to even look at. Mario kept glancing around, horrified at the cases: Link's shield had been wrenched out of his grip and crushed his head, Kirby was more still and flat than a fish plucked from the water, a trickle of blood streamed from Solid Snake's mouth, Marth and Ike's chests had been sliced open, R.O.B was reduced to parts… it was too much._

_ Mario waited for them to become trophies, to prove his thoughts wrong. He waited for it, so he could revive them and finally be rid of the Leader of Subspace. _

_ They stayed motionless._

_ They stayed beaten._

_ They stayed _dead.

_Upon the confirmation, several tears streamed down Mario's face. His friends - these _innocents_ – were dead. Because Tabuu was too strong. Because they couldn't stay in their own universes. Because they're camaraderie wasn't enough._

_ They were dead because he couldn't lead them properly._

_ Mario heard a screech from above. He turned his tear-stained face to see Tabuu, merciless as ever, conjuring a golden, glowing chain in his hand. The chain ended with a huge arrowhead, pulsing with destructive energy. Tabuu swung it around his head like a lasso, preparing a final move._

_ As the arrow of light headed towards his face, Mario silently begged Master Hand to forgive him for failing to protect his friends._

"Bro? Brother! Mario, wake up!"

Mario's eyes flew open, still stinging from crying. He sat up, gasping, just as he received another shove to the shoulder. He yelped and looked up, ready to pummel Tabuu's forces…

`What he found was Luigi, alive and well, staring down at him with a concerned expression.

"Bro, what-a happe- uh!?" Luigi was cut off by Mario leaping from his spot and gripping him in a bear hug.

The red-clothed plumber's eyes stung with unshed tears once more. "Oh, thank the-a Toadstool _famiglia,_ you're-a okay, Luigi!"

Mario continued to squeeze his brother in relief until he felt a gloved finger poking his back. "Er… Mario?" Luigi sounded confused, "What-a _happened?"_

In an instant, it all came crashing down on him. Mario released Luigi and took in his surroundings.

Light red walls with white ceiling and floor. A collection of spare mushrooms, flowers (fire _and_ ice), and other power-ups stacked in a glass case on one wall. A small bedside table; a lamp residing on its surface. A single-person bed, the one Mario realized he was sitting on. All were elements of his bedroom.

He'd been dreaming. Tabuu was still gone. They were safe.

Mario felt his face grow warm with embarrassment. He traced a circle in his bed sheets and bit his lip. "Um…" He sighed, squeezing his eyes shut. "I'm-a sorry, Luigi. It was-a just a dumb nightmare."

Luigi raised an eyebrow, looking both curious and worried. "What was it this time?"

"What do you mean-a, this time?"

"Well," The green plumber said, rubbing the back of his head and looking to the side nervously, "you've been-a really stressed lately, and you keep-a waking up from weirdo dreams." He glanced back at his brother. "Is it-a the same one every night?"

Mario stared at the floor, unwilling to answer. He didn't want anyone, especially not his younger brother, to worry about him. "Erm…"

Before he had a chance to respond, the door swung open, making both brothers start. Standing there, tiny shoe tapping rapidly and face twisted in an annoyed scowl, was Toad.

"Mario! When are ya gonna get up!?" the tiny mushroom man demanded. Mario supposed he was trying to sound professional, though his high-pitched voice failed that goal miserably.

"The princess is almost ready to go, so why aren't you!?" he continued impatiently, "You're the big cheese there, right? The leading man?"

Toad's words made zero sense to Mario until a gleaming object on his bedside table caught his eye. It was a small ball, just big enough to barely fit in one's palm. On all sides was a pattern of two lines, one thin and one thick, intercepting each other in the lower left of the ball. It was a deep, dark purple in color, and within it, a dark pinkish light swirled, giving the ball a spiritual appearance.

A Portal Ball, the only method of reaching the Crossverse at will.

In a split second, the day's plans flooded back into Mario's brain: it was the same day Tabuu and his Subspace army was taken down. On this day for the past seven years since their victory, the many fighters who'd battled then participated in an epic, all-out tournament to celebrate said victory.

Mario blushed in embarrassment once more. "S-Sorry, Toad, I just-a… overslept." He chose his words with heavy care; he didn't want them to realize that he'd forgotten. He addressed both Luigi and Toad and continued, "Go and-a wait with-a Peach and Yoshi. I'll be out in _un momento,_ okay?"

Toad jumped up, smiling wide and pumping his tiny fist in the air. "Yes!" He sped off, quick as a flash.

Luigi, however, was far more reluctant to leave. He hovered in the doorway, looking back at his brother worriedly. "You-a sure you're okay, bro?"

Mario leapt out of bed. "Don't worry yourself, Luigi," he assured his brother. To convince him further, he smiled at him. His heart sank when he realized it was his first in a while.

Luigi said nothing. After one last glance behind him, the younger plumber shut the door and left.

Mario's half-baked smile faded, giving way to a guilty frown. The plumber sighed and began to prepare for the day's event.

"Omigoshomigoshomigosh!" Toad skipped around Princess Peach happily, barely able to contain his excitement, "I'm actually going! I'm actually gonna see everyone! I've really only dreamed about it, but now it's actually happening! I can't believe - !"

_"Yoshi!"_ The green dinosaur himself grabbed the mushroom man mid-skip, letting his tiny feet dangle.

Mario, standing nearby, quit straightening his shirt to grin a little. He had no idea why, but he always found it funny whenever Toad ceased his 'Princess's Right-Hand-Shroom' masquerade and succumbed to his childish tendencies. He was so much of a little kid that he needed someone to hold him back once he got out of hand.

Toad was far from impressed, though. He wriggled around until Yoshi dropped him. He glared at the dinosaur, annoyed. "Yoshi! What was _that_ for!?"

Yoshi tried his best to explain, "Yoshi, Yoshi yosh."

Toad cocked his head. "Huh?"

Luigi laughed and knelt beside the little man. "He just-a told you to calm down. It's-a better to release all your-a excitement once you actually get-a there."

"I can't help but be excited, Luigi!" Toad replied, "I always listen to your guys' stories about the crossverse, that it's so beautiful, that the battles you have with the other universe-guys are awesome, that… that it's so great there! Now I finally have a chance to see it for myself!"

Mario gave a laugh. "It is a pretty great place…" _"…all the more reason to-a protect it…"_

Princess Peach, decked out in her signature pink gown, seemed absentminded. She kept glancing around, as if looking for something.

"Hey Mario?" she called, "Don't you think Wario should be here by now?"

The plumber, in the midst of reaching into his pocket, felt her words like a freight train. He did as she did and looked around. Sure enough, there was no sign of his yellow-clothed arch-rival.

He felt his heart beat quicken; a feeling of panic threatened to spill over.

"_You are-a so paranoid,"_ he told himself, _"There's no need to worry at all."_

Mario took in a deep breath and released it. "Don't-a worry, Peachy," he stated, "He's probably a bit-a late. He has his own Portal Balls, anyway, just like Bowser. He'll-a catch up."

Peach opened her mouth to say something else, and then closed it. She still appeared troubled, but ceased voicing it.

Mario sighed and pulled out the Portal ball. The hypnotic entity within it swam quicker when he put it close to his mouth and told it, "Floating Stadium". He shut his eyes and threw it.

Mario was certain he'd never get used to the sound of the Balls activating. It was reminiscent of panes of glass shattering onto each other, a loud crash that burned the eardrums. After the nails-on-a-chalkboard phase, the Ball released a swirling blue vortex. The Portal itself gave off a sound like a ghost moaning, giving Mario chills.

The plumber called back to his friends – "Jump in!" – right before leaping into the vortex himself.

If Mario ever got over the noise of the Portals opening, he would still never come close with the feeling of actually _entering_ them.

An invisible force pulled and slashed at every nerve, giving the vibe of a tornado. It whipped past him, his body spinning with no hope of stability. He always needed to remind himself what it was before he embarrassed himself and cried out for help.

Finally, the force released him. He plummeted downward.

He was not expecting multiple sharp stabs in his back when he landed. Mario winced, squeezing his eyes shut. _"What the heck…? What is this?"_

Much to his shock, whatever had stabbed him squirmed beneath his weight. Then the shock turned to dread when it spoke, muffled and pained.

"Hey, fatty!" a teenage voice complained, "Get offa me!"

Mario looked down and spotted a familiar peach arm attached to a furry blue body. With an alarmed squeak, he leapt up, letting Sonic the Hedgehog take a much-needed breath.

"Sorrysorrysorrysorrysorry!" Mario rattled apologies off as if handing out free candy. "Seriously, Sonic! I'm-a really sorry about that!"

The blue hedgehog picked himself up, giving Mario an unamused look. "Its fine," he said, "Just reprogram your Portal next time so you'll avoid all warm bodies!"

Mario silently cursed the Portal Balls; they never quite spat them out in the exact right place.

"_The right place…"_

Forgetting his plight with Sonic, the plumber looked around and realized they _were_ in the right place.

It was a small, town-like area, small buildings lining the street. On the front of each, a white outlined symbol was enclosed in a red circle, each one representing a different universe; a mushroom (Mario's, naturally), a pattern of three triangles, a planet, a rounded star, and a Pokéball, among many others. At the end of the long path, a much larger building stood, bearing the crossverse's Smash Ball symbol.

The Preparation Village, where the fighters get themselves ready for any battles or tournaments in the…

Mario looked up, and there it was: the Floating Stadium, directly above the Smash building, in all its glory.

"Hey, bro!"

Mario jumped at his brother's voice. He swiftly turned around, and found that the rest of his group had taken a tumble out of the Portal as well. Peach and Toad were currently brushing themselves off, Yoshi shaking off any dirt. Luigi seemed the only one who had managed to arrive feet first.

The green plumber was grinning. He pointed. "You gave Sonic a good beating before-a the tournament even started?"

Mario glanced behind him, and watched Sonic straighten his back, clenching his teeth while doing so. He shot the plumber another glare.

Mario smiled sheepishly. "No, Luigi," he said, "he was just-a in the wrong place at the-a wrong time."

As soon as he finished talking, more and more Portals began to pop up, spitting out his alternate universe companions.

Mario felt an overwhelming joy flood his chest as he recognized faces. It was similar to the feeling he got whenever he rescued the princess, or anyone he cared deeply for, but far stronger. Seeing his friends again – no matter what universe they originated from – gave him a happiness he could not replace.

"_This,"_ he thought, _"is why I dreaded Tabuu so much."_

As he received greetings and hugs, he paid attention to how the Portals dropped off his friends. Some were normal and simple – Marth and Ike walked through the vortex as if exiting a doorway.

Some were troublesome – one had spawned on the dirt ground, preventing the soul inside it from crawling out. Samus Aran, body completely obscured by her armor, reached into the Portal and pulled out a grateful Captain Falcon.

And some, such as Mario and Sonic's, were very problematic.

The third came into question when a Portal spawned directly above the Hylian warrior Link, who'd just arrived . He was so focused with adjusting his forest-colored cap that he never noticed it. Before Mario could issue a warning, another teenage character tumbled out, landing squarely on top of the unsuspecting Link. He briefly heard him grunt – "Oof!" – as he got crushed.

Both Mario and Sonic turned their faces away from the scene, grimacing and smiling at the same time. Sonic opened one eye to look at his rival and laughed slightly. "I'm feeling the pain again," he said jokingly. Mario snickered.

His laughter quickly morphed into an "Oh no" when he heard Luigi gasp, "Not him…"

The character who'd fallen on Link wore a pure white tunic, brown sandals, and a golden wreath in his messy chestnut hair. A pair of equally white wings sprouted from his back, covering most of Link underneath him.

Pit, the goddess Palutena's right-hand angel. A.K.A, Link's biggest rival in the crossverse.

Upon seeing Pit's feathers, Link groaned and roughly shoved the angel off. "Oh, sure," he snarled, "drop right in, why don't you, chicken boy!"

Upon hearing _this,_ Pit did not apologize. He did not even greet anyone else. His surprised expression quickly became enraged. He stood up and growled back, "Hey! How was I supposed to know your butt was going to be there!?"

"You have wings! And Skyworld is even _in_ the crossverse! Why can't you just forget the Portals and fly here!?"

"I don't want to waste Lady Palutena's powers on just a flight from one location to another! I only fly in dire situations."

By now, Mario was certain sparks of electricity would emanate from the quarrelling fighters if possible. He slapped a palm to his face and groaned. As soon as Link unsheathed his sword, though, the plumber acted swiftly.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, guys!" Mario held his hands out, stopping the two from doing anything risky. "Come on. You're in the-a middle of the village." He pointed towards their respective prep buildings. "You can-a be at each other's throats on the battlefield."

"_Hopefully not,"_ he added silently.

With last burning glares, Link and Pit abandoned their argument and headed for preparations.

Every battler in the village collectively stopped socializing and went to their own prep buildings. As they dispersed, Mario counted and named every fighter he spotted. _"…Donkey Kong, Diddy, Pikachu, Lucario, Fox, Olimar – wait a minute."_

An unsettling realization hit him with the force of a bull: at least five fighters were missing. Falco, Ness, Mr. Game and Watch, and Jigglypuff, just like Wario, had failed to turn up for the tournament.

That same panic he'd held down before threatened to resurface.

"_They're late,"_ he told himself firmly, _"They're just-a late. Don't-a worry about it. They'll arrive soon enough."_

But as he walked through his prep building's door, an unsettling feeling continued to nag at him.

**OH MY GOSH THAT WAS A LONG CHAPTER *dead***

**Yeah, I spent most of my Friday and Saturday working on this, so I hope you enjoyed it. The next chapter most likely won't be as long, but I still hope you're looking forward to it.**

**Now, before anyone says anything, I must speak up for my characterization of Mario in this fic. He's not his normal happy self, but very worrisome with so much on his mind. Anyone notice how in Brawl and SSB4, Mario is frowning/scowling, and seems really serious instead of happy? To me, this connects into the events of Subspace Emissary, and maybe those events affected him to make him a much less optimistic person. If you look at the details in the artwork/cutscenes/trailers for Brawl and SSB4, this characterization is there. I promise to make him happy by the end of the story, though! **

**Also, for anyone who's wondering, I try to update at least once a week.**

**Reviews are greatly appreciated! See you guys next time!**

**~Pixel**


	3. Chapter 2: Let the Battle Begin

**I completely forgot to do this with the prologue and first chapter; it's kind of mandatory, so here you go:**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Super Smash Bros., or any characters/locations used in this story. I only own a few concepts and the plot.**

Similar to the sounds of the Portals, Mario's ears bled each time he entered the Floating Stadium.

Just about every seat in the Stadium was filled with an excited, screaming resident. Sitting in them were all kinds of citizens from the fighters' universes: Toads, Kritters, various Pokémon, Gorons, Goombas, Chao, Koopas, Waddle Dees and Doos, Starmen, and many more. All were jumping and cheering, perfect representations of elation and enthusiasm.

Mario's previous worries dissolved instantly once the elevator stopped by the Announcer's Podium; the cheering, the excitement, the _optimism._ How it thrilled him to know that these people cared so much about watching this tournament.

The plumber sucked in a breath and stepped up onto the podium. He smiled at the massive crowd and waved a few times, his standard routine as the announcer. He then looked down, at the computer screen embedded in the metal surface. He pressed a button in the corner, and the screen flickered to life. A list of fighters lined the left side, and in the remaining space was a series of brackets containing randomly chosen matches.

Mario heard a squeal behind him. He checked, and spotted Peach and Zelda sitting in their usual VIP seats. In Peach's lap sat Toad, although it was more bouncing than sitting. The three smiled at him, Toad giving an additional thumb's up.

Mario nodded and turned back to the screaming fans. In an instant, the stadium went eerily quiet.

"Welcome, everyone, to the-a seventh annual Subspace Tournament, celebrating our defeat of Tabuu and his army's tyranny!" he said, loud and clear, into the microphone. His words were met with even more cheers.

He carried on, "Though some who fought with us-a then chose not to participate for personal reasons, it does-a not make our victory any less great! We shall honor those fantastic fighters with these battles – "

Mario stopped. An overwhelming sadness suddenly washed over him. _"I need-a to say it…"_ He sighed and tightly shut his eyes.

" – and honor our previous leader who fell to Tabuu's forces."

He didn't even have to name the leader in question. It immediately clicked with everyone, and a sorrowful silence followed.

Though Mario had repeated those same words for seven years now, he still couldn't help getting a little choked up whenever he acknowledged Master Hand's tragic death. The Crossverse's great commander had been controlled by Tabuu as a pawn in his plans. Though he had broken free of his bonds, he was still too weak to take on the entity. But Master Hand had fallen for the impulse for revenge, and in turn, had lost his life because of it.

Mario was the one who ultimately defeated their leader's murderer; it felt natural to take his place.

Mario realized the moment of silence had taken much longer than needed. "T-Thank you," he said awkwardly. He cleared his throat.

"Now then," he announced with as much fervor he could muster, "let the-a tournament _begin!"_

Loud cheers erupted from the spectators. The fighters, clustered in a small pocket of space just below the crowd, much to Mario's surprise, were mirroring the Crossverse citizens; whooping and squealing, bursting with enthusiasm.

A flame sparked in Mario's chest. He smiled, ear to ear, his first genuine one in ages.

"_Everyone's so happy. There isn't-a any need to worry."_

He checked the first match on his screen and announced it: Meta Knight versus Samus.

The battlefield rose up into place. The gate opened, and Samus and Meta Knight ran to their positions at opposite ends of the field. Both looked eager to win.

Mario tapped a third option on his screen, and images of different universes popped up. He contemplated for a moment, and then chose an image labelled **Coliseum**.

A series of mechanical whirs and creaking sounded beneath the battlefield. Plumes of steam shot from the ground as it transformed; the bland, navy blue carpet floor soon became a near-exact replica of one of Marth and Ike's universe's coliseums. Sand covered the ground like a blanket, and platforms made of machinery ascended.

The stadium's humongous jumbotron, installed between two series' of cubbies, did the same as Mario's computer and flickered on. It depicted close-up shots of Samus and Meta Knight, both in starting poses and bearing determined expressions.

With a wave of his gloved hand, Mario delightedly commenced the battle.

Meta Knight moved immediately, though not in Samus's direction; instead, he opened his batlike wings and soared upward. He landed on a platform and hurried towards the bounty hunter, Galaxia sword gleaming in the sunlight. He flew until directly above her, then shot down with his sword extended.

Samus, apparently expecting the sneak attack, backflipped out of the way and counterattacked by dashing into Meta Knight and punching with her suit's blaster arm. The Popstar warrior went flying, crashed into another platform, bounced off, and shot back down.

Not to be outdone, Meta Knight immediately shook off her punch and threw himself back at his opponent.

With every blow and attack, the crowd grew more and more restless. They cheered when attacks landed, gasped at the more effective ones. Even Zelda and Peach were enjoying the battle immensely, chattering amongst each other each time Samus gripped Meta Knight with a Grapple Beam, or when Meta Knight slashed at Samus's side.

The only person observing the fight and not enjoying it in the slightest was Mario.

As the battle progressed, the plumber noticed something very odd: injuries. Not just damage taken from hits, but actual, serious injuries. By the time five minutes had passed, Samus's helmet had been knocked off, revealing a bleeding cut across her cheek caused by Meta Knight's blade. The other fighter bore similar scratches, each bleeding, and also several bruises.

It shocked Mario at best, terrified him at worst.

The Crossverse, for reasons unknown to the brawlers, had incredible healing properties. During their battles and tournaments, any injuries they might've received from attacks mysteriously healed before they could even show up on the skin. It was a phenomenon that, although strange and often puzzling, was regarded as a regular happening in the Crossverse.

But now, for reasons just as inexplicable, the injuries stayed.

Mario watched the battle carefully. Their cuts and bruises didn't stay for long, much to his relief; it took a few seconds before the wounds closed up. But a worry-laced stone still sat uncomfortably in Mario's gut.

_Why is this happening?_

After a few minutes of nonstop battling, both fighters looked haggard. They breathed hard, staring at each other with intense motivation. Meta Knight flew again, appearing to prepare another sneak attack. His fatigue, however, said otherwise; his wings gave out, and he plummeted down.

Right towards Samus.

The bounty hunter saw her chance, gave a great leap, and kicked Meta Knight with the force of a charging ram.

Meta Knight screeched in pain. His body was suddenly consumed by a blinding golden light. He fell to the floor like a stone, all dead weight.

A circular, golden stand appeared under his feet. He assumed a standing position, frozen in time. When the light faded, Meta Knight lay there, defeated, in trophy form.

Samus heaved a huge breath as the crowd went wild. She walked towards Meta Knight's unmoving form and gave his trophy stand a tap. The light returned, this time reverting the warrior back to flesh and blood.

He held his head, squeezed his eyes shut. Upon seeing Samus towering above him, however, he leapt to his feet and shook her extended hand. They then faced their screaming fans and soaked in the praise.

Mario, lost in his thoughts, barely remembered to announce Samus as the winner. He overheard Peach and Zelda's conversation behind him:

"I'm not really surprised Meta Knight lost," murmured Peach, "He told me earlier that he's been hanging out with Kirby a lot lately, so he hasn't had too much time to practice."

"Really?" Zelda replied, sounding intrigued, "Well, Samus mentioned to me that _she's_ been out of it as well."

Mario felt dumbfounded; nobody else had noticed. No one else in the whole stadium had noticed the blood or bruises.

"_There is definitely something wrong here…"_ he thought. Panic bubbled inside him again. He tried to push it down just like before, but it still persisted.

The next match, though, was enough to make him completely abandon his worries.

As soon as he checked the bracketed list, Mario was certain he could've had a heart attack.

"Link and Pit!?"

A collective gasp of horror came from the crowd. Almost everyone in the Crossverse knew of Link and Pit's intense rivalry, and how much the two heartily disliked one another.

Mario whipped his head around and stared at Zelda and Peach, facial expression utterly flabbergasted. "Who in the-a name of Master Hand's reign thought it was a good idea to put _these-a two_ together!?" he asked, voice dripping with confusion.

The ladies shook their heads in unison. "Sorry Mario," said Zelda, "but the computer chooses the matches at random. I guess it was just by dumb luck that they were picked."

Mario glared at his computer screen. "_You are such a cheating bastard…"_

While the plumber had been conversing with the princesses, Link and Pit rushed onto the battlefield, now back to normal, as soon as their names had been called.

While Samus and Meta Knight had stared each other down with determination in their eyes, the angel and warrior standing there now were glaring with seething rage.

Mario looked over the stage choices again, but ultimately decided to keep the field as is; he didn't want to risk the rivals using objects to completely destroy each other.

With a sigh laced with defeat, Mario reluctantly commenced the battle.

Instead of sneaking and attacking like the previous battlers, Link and Pit were on each other like quarreling cats on the word go. Link unsheathed his sword, Pit pulled out his blades, and the rivals clashed with their weapons. Each time one slashed, the other blocked. They kept meleeing until Link finally saw an opening and swiped at Pit's side. While the angel was recovering from the blow, Link slapped him with his shield, far across the field.

Mario gasped at the slash, and quickly checked Pit. Sure enough, bright red blood was seeping into his white tunic where Link had cut him.

But Pit wasn't going down so easily. Calling on the Power of Flight, he extended his wings and shot upward as if fired from the muzzle of a rifle. He produced three Arrows of Light and fired all in the Hylian's direction.

Link, as if anticipating this, dodged every arrow and gripped his boomerang. Yelling a furious cry, he swung it towards Pit.

The angel desperately flapped his wings, just barely missing the boomerang. Grinning smugly, he descended swiftly and cut Link's chest, knocking the stunned fighter backwards.

This back-and-forth pattern continued for a long time. To Mario's shock and horror, though, the further the battle progressed, the more aggressive the battlers became.

To go with the increasing tension, the unusual injuries continued well. Soon, Link had blood streaming down one arm, and Pit had several ugly bruises on his face and arms.

Mario's heart hammered out of his chest; what could this mean?

After few more minutes of intense sparring, the near-exhausted fighters seemed to decide to take the other out in one fell swoop. Link reared his sword back, and Pit did the same with his blades. Both yelling in anger, they charged.

Mario clenched his teeth till they ached. He shut his eyes, unwilling to watch the incoming storm.

There was an explosion of energy.

Mario's eyes shot open. _"There's no way that was them."_

He looked.

Link and Pit were blown backwards, both looking equally confused. Smack dab in the middle of the battlefield was a large cloud of smoke. The area around it was black and singed.

Slowly, the smoke cleared. The entire stadium gasped, Mario the loudest.

Standing there, beaten and wounded, was Ness.

The boy looked as if he'd suffered several intense beatings; multiple black bruises and horrid cuts covered his body. His right sleeve was missing, revealing an open gash on his shoulder, blood streaming down his arm. His left eye was shut, but dried blood encircled it, leaving it up to the imagination. He was trembling, breathing heavily.

Mario couldn't remember that there was a tournament underway; he was far too shocked. He leapt from his podium onto the battlefield and rushed to Ness's side. The other fighters followed suit, including Peach and Zelda. Soon every battler was crowded around the boy's mutilated self, desperate to know what happened.

"Ness," Mario whispered, holding the boy's violently shaking shoulders, "What-a _happened?_"

Ness faced the plumber. Mario resisted recoiling at the sight of his bleeding eye; tears spilled over his open one.

He opened his mouth to speak, and promptly fell forwards.

Mario quickly caught him. His horror grew; this was almost how the boy had looked in his nightmares of Tabuu. He shook his head roughly, trying to clear his head.

He turned Ness over so he was facing everyone. "Please Ness," Mario pleaded, "Who-a did this to you?"

Ness trembled fiercely. He stuttered, trying to form sentences, "H-H-H…He…" He gasped, "_He has them…"_

Mario shook him lightly. "What?"

Ness struggled to speak, tears streaming down one side of his face. "H-He has them…th…the missing fighters, he has them… he intercepted our… our Portals… stole our powers…

"He's on his way... He's coming for you too…"

Ness suddenly heaved a great breath and went limp in Mario's arms, unconscious. Mario stared at the wounded boy, too horrified to speak.

All hell broke loose.

**Yeah, great cliffhanger, right guys!? ;3**

**Sorry if this chapter has any mistakes, I just desperately wanted to crank it out for you guys a bit earlier this time. If you see any, please point them out so I may fix them **

**I'm so pleased to know that people are enjoying this story so much! It means so much to know people enjoy my writing.**

**Leave a review and stay tuned!**

**~Pixel**


	4. Chapter 3: A New Old Enemy

**Sadly, I will never own this magnificent batch of characters and their world(s). I only own magnificent (wow, vain much?) concepts and plots.**

The Floating Stadium dissolved into a panic. Crossverse citizens leapt out of their seats, sprinted to the nearest escape elevators. All were screaming in fear of the unknown _"He". _The collective screaming reverberated off the Stadium's walls, creating a painful echoing sound that can simultaneously destroy one's eardrums and reappear within their nightmares.

Mario, though, was deaf to the cries.

His heart hammered against his ribcage; his breathing came out quick and shallow; brief visions of Subspace, Tabuu, and his defeated friends flashed in his mind's eye…

Someone called his name, jolting him out of his trance. To his left, Peach knelt beside him, clinging to Ness's arm. Concern shone in her blue eyes.

"Mario, you need to do something!" the princess yelled over the commotion, "You need to calm them down!"

Mario blinked once, stared at Ness's body. "I…"

In truth, he was only listening with half an ear; to go with the crowd's frightened screeches, his comrades were murmuring amongst themselves about the impending "He" Ness told of. He caught snippets of multiple mini-conversations, and many made his stomach churn:

"What're we gonna do?" said Zelda worriedly.

"Is he even thinking straight?" asked King DeDeDe.

"Whatever's coming, it seems really nasty," Olimar shuddered.

Among the statements and questions, Ike dropped a huge bomb: Could it be _Tabuu?"_

It slapped Mario across the face; the reality of the situation finally sunk in.

He had to protect them. Just like Master Hand would.

He turned to Preach and held Ness out to her. "Keep an eye on-a him," he quickly told her before pushing his way out of the circle of fighters. He ran until directly below the Announcer's Podium. Sucking in a breath, he mustered every ounce of his jumping ability and soared into the air.

He stopped just below the edge of the platform where the podium rested. He gripped the edge and, while heaving a great groan, pulled himself up.

He went to the podium's microphone, tapped it once, and then shakily spoke.

"E-E…Everyone! _P-Per favore,_ everyone! Calm-a d-down!" Mario wanted to wince; hearing their leader stutter, not to mention his anxious tone of voice, must instill anything but reassurance in the Crossverse citizens. "Please, just-a calm down! We have-a been trained to-a deal with this! Just-a – !"

He was cut off by the stuff of nightmares.

Every elevator door swung open simultaneously, creating a collective _THUD_ that punctuated the crowd's screams. Streaming out of the compartments, just like lines of ants, were beings that made Mario's blood run cold.

Copies. Black, misshapen _copies._ Copies of the fighters who'd gone missing, including Ness, made of swarming, rabid _Shadow Bugs._ They walked like zombies, slow and ominous. Small spurts of Bugs launched themselves off their bodies, and parts of them flickered in and out of existence, making their appearance all the more terrifying.

At once, the ugly copies attacked.

Mario froze on the spot. His breathing grew rapid again. _"Please… Please, heaven's above, it can't-a be… He can' t-a be back… He's-a dead…"_

_"AAAGH! HELP ME!"_

Mario whipped his head around, desperate yet afraid to see who'd cried out. Poor, innocent Toad, whom Peach had left idle on the bench, was cornered by three of the faulty copies; one of Jigglypuff, one of Ness, and one of Falco. The little mushroom man fell to his knees, cowering and sniveling in fear.

Wisps of fire sparked at Mario's fingertips.

With a furious yell, he leapt from his podium onto the VIP seat. Before the copies could even react, he dealt flaming punches and kicks to each of them. But upon applying force to the duplicates, much to Mario's surprise, groups of Shadow Bugs flew off their bodies, instead of staying intact. In a matter of seconds, the life-sized imitations were reduced to quivering pools of Bugs.

Mario kicked one pool in disgust, sending a few Bugs flying off the edge. He knelt down and patted Toad's head. "You okay, Toad?"

Toad immediately rushed to Mario's leg, hugging it. "Mario!" he wailed, "I'm so sorry I was so useless! I know I can take care of myself, I even helped you _*hic*_ and the Princess and Luigi before, b-but…" His grip tightened. "I was just _so scared!"_

Mario opened his mouth to talk, but Toad's words made him pause. He was scared, so he froze; he was terrified out of his wits, so he _did nothing._

The plumber swallowed. "I-It's-a okay, Toad," he coaxed the little man, patting his mushroom cap again, "I-I understand –_Wha!?"_

He suddenly realized: while he and Toad had been talking, groups of the horrible copies had surrounded them. One of Wario had launched itself onto Mario's back, causing him to cry out. He reacted swiftly; his fist burst into flames and backhanded the duplicate in its face, knocking it off of him.

Mario stood straighter, ready to take on any others who dared harm him. His confidence dissipated right after, though; at least eight or so surrounded them, blocking off any escape routes. Some managed to climb up the edge, thoroughly trapping them.

Mario growled through his teeth. He scooped up Toad as if carrying a baby. With a quick oxygen intake, he jumped off the edge and into the fray on the battlefield.

No fighter was on the sidelines, avoiding the battle. Every last one was slashing, punching, whatever fighting style they specialize in, as if it were their very lives at stake. Once his feet touched solid ground, Mario immediately ran to the nearest sideline and sat Toad there.

"Stay-a here," he told him, "If they-a try and attack you, just-a _run._ Run like you've-a never run before. You got that?"

Toad gulped and nodded.

Another fearful cry filled Mario's ears. Similar to the situation with Toad, two of the mutant copies were cornering a Koopa and a Goron, both trembling and frightened.

Mario was on the enemies like a mother lion protecting its cubs. He summoned a fireball in each hand and shot them like bullets. Both copies exploded into Shadow Bugs, giving the victims time to escape.

Adrenaline and confidence rushed through his veins. He grinned slightly._ "If it-a_ is_ him again, he's super weak. This… This-a might be easy."_

As soon as he thought it, the Shadow Bugs proved him wrong.

The small pools at his feet began to quiver. They moved around him so he was completely surrounded by the tiny black bugs. Before he even had time to react, they swarmed up his legs and body and clung to him.

In his shock, Mario fell backwards. He shook his head, his arms, and his body rigorously, but the Bugs hung on like Velcro. He suddenly felt weaker, less powerful; his whole body felt like someone was draining him of his blood and energy.

_"What is-a_ happening!?_"_ he thought, panicked, _"I can't…I can't move…"_

_ PHSEW! PHSEW!_

A cluster of Bugs suddenly flew off of Mario. Just as suddenly, a pink beam of light shot past him, knocking off another cluster, and then another. Mario summoned all the strength he had left and burned the rest of them off.

Mario looked to the side and spotted Fox McCloud, the animal pilot and captain of Team Star Fox, pointing his Blaster pistol in the plumber's direction. The pilot smiled, walked up to Mario, and held a gloved hand out. Mario took his hand gratefully.

"You looked kind of overwhelmed," Fox said, still smiling despite the commotion.

Before either of them could say more, shrill screams and screeches of pain were heard. They both turned and saw a horrifying sight: all the fighters – all their friends – were as overwhelmed by the Shadow Bug duplicates as Mario was. When they attacked, the Bugs retaliated by engulfing their bodies like a gross infection. The fighters were trying desperately to shake them off, however it was proved very difficult. Some were having it easy like Donkey Kong or Yoshi, but others were ending up like Mario: fallen, defeated, unable to do anything without another's assistance. It was not unlike something Mario would see in his reoccurring Tabuu nightmares.

He heard a clicking noise beside him. Fox had a small device in his hand, three buttons on one side.

Mario could never ask him what it was, because he got his answer directly after.

Above the stadium, coming through the clouds, a giant light gray ship with four long wings on its sides came into view. Two high-powered turrets were installed on the bottom of the front of the ship. As it descended, it was possible to see the red symbol emblazoned on its top fin: a fox-like animal with smooth, featherless wings. The Great Fox.

"Everyone!" Fox had to screech at the top of his lungs to be heard. "Board the ship! We need to get out!"

Somehow, the other fighters heard his commands, and rapidly obliged. The flying battlers –Kirby, Meta Knight, King DeDeDe, Pit, and Peach with her parasol – grabbed those who couldn't and carried them to the great ship.

When Meta Knight tried to grab Mario's shirt, however, the plumber slapped his hand away angrily.

"What are-a you all _doing!?_" he yelled, confused and enraged, "We can't-a stop! We must-a protect these people!"

Someone poked their head out the Great Fox's entryway; from the long hair and dress, Mario realized it was Peach.

"Mario! They're way too strong!" The princess sounded desperate and pleading. "I know we need to save them, but we've never fought these before!"

"_I don't care!" _Mario turned away to jump into battle once more, when a pair of hands suddenly gripped his shoulders.

"Palutena, I need you!" From the voice and the glowing white wings above him, Mario saw it was Pit. They shot upwards to the Great Fox.

"_No!_ Let-a me go!" Mario struggled against Pit's arms, but the angel had a surprising iron grip. Once in front of the entrance, Pit tossed Mario into the compartment, head clanging against the metal wall. The door shut quickly, preventing any escape.

The plumber rushed to a window, feeling upset and helpless. As the Great Fox flew away, he watched the copies overtake the stadium and its terrified inhabitants.

~x~

"They were just so weird!" Captain Falcon said, putting a hand on his helmet.

Marth, who was sitting right next to him, nodded. "Yes,_ yūjiin,_ it is like they were completely different Shadow Bugs."

The fighters were huddled together in the Great Fox's cabin, engaged in conversation about the fight in the Floating Stadium. It seemed like everyone had a piece to say about the strange copies and the Bugs they were made of.

Mario sat at the very end, unwilling to talk or even make his presence known. His thoughts were only on how he'd failed; he'd always dreaded the day he'd have to finally show his skill as a leader, and then it came. All he'd been doing as the Crossverse's leader for the last seven years in host tournaments and battles; that was it. With the attack on the stadium, he should have been able to prove himself a good leader. Instead, he'd lead his comrades into failure. He sank into his seat, pulling his cap down to cover his ashamed face.

"But when they attached themselves to us," said Ganondorf, carrying on the conversation, "didn't it feel like they were sucking the energy from us?"

Murmurs of agreement met his question.

Peach, who sat next to Mario, was still holding the unconscious Ness. She frowned somberly at the boy's still form and placed a hand on his head. "They might have something to do with Ness's condition," she said, "He _did_ say someone would attack us."

"Yeah," said Link, "but it doesn't explain why he's all bloody. None of us got hurt like that when we fought them, did we?"

"That's-a true, but you _did-a_ bleed."

Everyone flinched at Mario's sudden interjection. The plumber had been deathly quiet since he'd gotten on the ship. He now stood up from his seat, his face hard.

"During the tournament," he continued, "when you-a fought each other, you actually got-a cut, bled, and bruised. You-a did heal, but a lot slower than-a normal." He walked towards Link and grabbed his arm. He pointed to a specific area and said, "See?"

Sure enough, numerous white scars covered the Hylian warrior's bare skin, reminders of the aggressive battle with Pit. Link paled and his eyes grew wide.

Mario dropped Link's arm and sat back down. "Ness said-a that someone had-a captured the others who didn't-a get to the tournament," he said, putting a hand under his chin thoughtfully, "Could-a that "He" be doing something to make us-a actually bleed?"

The cabin was silent, everyone lost in thought.

A sudden realization hit Mario. His jaw dropped slightly; he couldn't believe he never did it before now.

A row of buttons lined the ceiling of the cabin. Mario pushed one, and an audio blip was heard.

"Yeah?" Fox's voice seemed to come from the walls.

"Fox," said Mario, "Where are-a we going?"

"Where do you think?" Fox sounded disbelieving. "The Isle of the Ancients. That's where Dr. Mario lives now, isn't it? And he's really the only one we know who can figure out how to fix Ness."

**Sorry if this took a while for me to put out, but I got sick over the weekend so I had to sleep a lot and often was too tired to write **

**Fun fact, this chapter **_**was**_** going to be a bit longer, but I kind of explained it just now. Hehe…**

**Anyway, how is the story so far? I'm really glad people are liking it **

**Read, review, recommend to others, do whatever! See you next week!**

**~Pixel**


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